Tribulation and Hardship
by perpetualpathology
Summary: Zosia's endometriosis is only getting worse and due to unintentional empathy, Jac begins to treat her as a friend rather than a junior doctor. Unfortunately for Jac, Ollie also notices but promises not to snitch to their other colleagues.


**This is just another oneshot following on from** ** _Unauthorised Absences_** **since seven of you wanted me to carry on with it – thank you for the reviews on that story by the way, I love reading them! If anyone has any ideas for another short story that I could write related to this story or** ** _Unauthorised Absences_** **then let me know and I'll see what I can do!**

* * *

Pain. That one word could be used to describe a multitude of different things; emotional turmoil, a small injury or sprain, or even the experience of childbirth summed up in one word. But the word didn't feel enough to describe what Zosia March was feeling midway through her Monday morning shift.

It came in phases: one minute she couldn't bear to speak or move and the next she could be relieved that the intensity of the cramp had dulled to what most other people would consider the worst pain imaginable. Whilst there wasn't anything that she could do to ease the 'pain', being at home curled up under the covers watching a film to take her mind off of things seemed to make it more tolerable but she couldn't go home again; she had already taken far too much sick leave. Her boss would understand – she had endometriosis herself – but that wasn't the problem. As usual, it was money. The upcoming strikes for junior doctors had made national news but ironically, she couldn't afford to lose a day's pay for such industrial action.

Upon first getting diagnosed with endometriosis, she had not even thought twice about taking a day off of work when she needed to because working in her condition was unthinkable. But her foolishness earlier in the year meant that she was now struggling to make ends meet. With each paycheque, money was set aside for rent, utilities, her prescriptions and other necessities leaving practically no money left and it was getting so bad that she had even looked into alternative living arrangements to see if she could find cheaper rent but she had had no such luck unless she wanted to live in squalor. That was why she couldn't afford to leave early. If anything, it would be better to gain a couple of hours of extra time to ensure her bank balance wouldn't dip any lower that month.

Fortunately, she had managed to avoid theatre that day. Instead she was doing work below her pay grade as she took scribbled notes written by Elliot, Jac or Mo in a rush in patient's file and wrote them out in legible handwriting so that they could be used for future reference. As Elliot was at another hospital all day, she was using his desk in the consultants' office and was sat behind a stack of paperwork whilst the other consultant was typing away at her computer.

As another unendurable cramp engulfed her lower abdomen she squeezed her legs together, closed her eyes and clenched her fists as she tried her upmost not to make a sound but unfortunately the agony was too much and she let out a small groan.

"Dr March?" Jac raised an eyebrow as she looked to the desk on the other side of the room.

"I'm fine." Zosia muttered. She wished the intense pain would pass quickly so that she could assure her boss that nothing was wrong but it was lasting too long for that to happen.

"You could've fooled me." The senior doctor remarked. "Are you still not taking any painkillers?" She asked clinically.

"No." Zosia sighed.

"Well then I think it's best you go home and take the rest of the day off, don't you?"

"I can't. Not again."

"Why not?"

Because statutory sick pay isn't enough to live on. I take time off, I lose money and I've already borrowed enough off of my father. You know what junior doctors are going through at the moment; we work just as many hours as you do if not more but we get paid far less so I can't afford to take any more time off."

"Well then go home and I won't tell anyone you've gone. You're not scheduled into theatre or doing any ward duties today so there's nothing you urgently need to do. Just take these files home, finish updating the notes and you can bring them back tomorrow."

"But I'm not allowed to take files home." Zosia protested. "And it'll only take me an hour, there's still another pile at the nurses' station that I've got to do."

"The other files can wait – they're all for patients who have been discharged so there's no immediate rush and no one will know whether you took them home or not. I do it all the time." Jac said bluntly. "But if you want to carry on working I can't force you." Jac stated before she returned to her work.

 _What on earth did I just do?!_ Zosia thought to herself. _I just turned down an offer to go home without losing my pay!_ She tried to focus on deciphering and rewriting the notes in front of her but she couldn't ignore the acute pain radiating through her lower torso.

"Um… actually, Ms Naylor?"

"If you want to go, you can." The consultant replied without taking her eyes off of the monitor in front of her.

"Thank you very much." Zosia said gratefully before she rose to her feet and scooped the files that hadn't yet been rewritten into her arms. She quickly left the room knowing that moving any slower wouldn't help the pain – she had tried it all before – and headed for the locker room so that she could change out of her scrubs and go home only once she opened the door, she found Oliver Valentine wearing only his scrubs bottoms and trainers.

"Ah, there you are. I haven't seen you all morning." Her partner smiled as he pulled on a clean shirt after having to change because he'd been thrown up on.

"What're you doing in here?" Zosia asked.

"I could ask you the same question; what're you doing with those files?"

"Taking them home." Zosia admitted reluctantly.

"Why?" He frowned but he received no response as she put them down on the bench and opened her locker so she could get her own clothes out. "Oh right… I presume mother nature has arrived."

"Yep." Zosia sighed as she pulled her scrub top off and soon replaced it with a white vest.

"Isn't that mine?" Ollie questioned as she pulled on a slightly oversized grey cable knit jumper.

"Yeah you left it around mine but I haven't got another jumper with me so you're not getting it back now." Zosia quipped.

"It's fine, I don't mind you wearing it. Would you like a lift home? I'm due a break and I can drive you to save you walking."

"No thanks, I'm going to get the bus."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Now can you let me get changed in peace?" She requested as she undid the yellow bow on the top of her dark blue scrub bottoms.

"Sure, I hope you feel better soon." He said softly before he kissed her on the lips.

"Thank you."

"I'll see you later." He smiled before he left the locker room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

After changing out of her scrubs and putting the patient files in her handbag, Zosia used the staff toilets quickly to freshen up but once she had washed her hands, the pain intensified again and she took deep breaths. She put her hands on her abdomen and pressed down, willing the agony to end but then the door swung open and Jac Naylor walked in. Not having the energy nor the reaction time to stand up before she noticed, she remained bent double as she consultant walked in.

"I thought you were going home."

"I am in a minute." Zosia groaned.

"Who's your gynaecologist? Is it Mr T?"

"Why?" The junior doctor frowned.

"Is he?"

"Yes." She huffed.

"Ask him to prescribe tramadol." Jac ordered. "He can't prescribe for endometriosis unless it's a last resort so just explain to him about your bipolar, that you can't take other painkillers and that you desperately need some form of pain relief." She explained. "If you go to him now in this state, he'll have to do something for you. Tramadol doesn't affect lithium in the body. It can raise the levels of serotonin in the body but you don't need large doses of tramadol, it's a very strong painkiller."

"Tramadol? Why didn't I think of that before?"

"Because you're the junior doctor and I'm the consultant." Jac quipped. "If he doesn't prescribe it to you now because he wants to run more tests come back to my office; I've got some in my desk."

"Jac– Ms Naylor, thank you so much." Zosia said gratefully as she picked her bag up from the floor before she headed down to the third floor.

* * *

Finishing up for the day, Jac had just logged off her computer and pulled her coat on over her work clothes when there was a knock at the office door.

"Come in." She rolled her eyes – she had to go and pick up her daughter and didn't have the time to sort out a petulant problem that came along with being a consultant.

"Jac, I won't keep you long." Ollie stated as he closed the door behind him.

"Good. Let's get this over with then, spit it out."

"I just wanted to thank you for helping Zosia today." He began. "She picked up her prescription for tramadol on the way out of the hospital and I've just spoken to her on the phone and she sounds like a different person. She's really been struggling these past few months and I don't know how long she would've suffered before she'd ask for help."

"I'm a doctor; I hardly went above and beyond." Jac sighed.

"You did though." Ollie stated. "Don't worry, I won't spread it around that you helped out a junior doctor or that Emma's made you soft–"

"She has not." Jac protested.

"Sure she hasn't." Ollie smiley coyly. "Thanks again, I'll let you get on." He smiled as he headed for the door but he paused when Jac spoke up.

"Make sure the tramadol doesn't make her drowsy or she'll have to speak to Mr T about different painkillers." Jac warned.

"Will do. See you tomorrow."

"Goodbye Dr Valentine."

 **Thank you for reading this creation of my imagination :) If you have a moment, please leave me a review to let me know what you think of it as it only takes a second and I appreciate all feedback, good and bad.**


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